Patent Picks are taken from publicly available sources and cover recent patents issued, or applied for, in the cosmetic and personal care industries and relevant peripheral markets. This edition features methods and processes for analyzing and producing cosmetic products and materials.

Described in this patent is a system and method for approximating a diffusion profile utilizing gathered lighting information associated with an occluded portion of an object. In embodiments related to cosmetics, the tool may be used to scan exact material properties of the human face under different lighting conditions and with additional layers of opaque and/or translucent materials, e.g., makeup

Provided herein are methods and an apparatus for the quantitative measurement and analysis of particles, including the detection of nanoparticles in suspension. By focusing a laser beam at the center of a reservoir, nanoparticles are concentrated by optical energy, and fluorescent intensity at the focal point of the laser is measured to quantify the particle concentration. This technique may be applied to natural particles such as microorganisms and synthetic particles such as colloidal latexes, paints, pigments and metallic or semiconductor nanoparticles.

According to the inventors, since the inception of optical trapping technologies or “optical tweezers,” there has been a rapid advance in the technology, such as using focused laser light to manipulate single particles. And the ability to control the strength of particle-to-particle interactions and the stability of the particles in suspension is critical for a variety of industries, especially for measuring and controlling colloidal stability against fluctuation or aggregation. In the methods described, light is used to locally confine and spatially concentrate nanoparticles for potential applications in chemical and biological separation and detection, as well as technologies relating to nanoparticles that are used in coatings, pigments, food, beverages, drugs and cosmetics, among others.

According to these inventors, supramolecular materials are constituted of compounds linked together by noncovalent bonds, such as hydrogen, ionic and/or hydrophobic bonds. One advantage of these materials is that these physical bonds are reversible, in particular under the influence of temperature or through the action of a selective solvent. It is thus possible to envision using them in fields of application such as coatings (paints, cosmetics, etc.), adhesives, hot-melt adhesives and powder paints, or as an additive in thermoplastics or in asphalts. Some of them also possess elastomeric properties, and although they are not constituted of cross-linked polymers but of small molecules, these materials are capable of displaying dimensional stability for long periods and of recovering their initial shape after considerable deformation.

This invention describes a method for synthesizing such supramolecular materials, comprising: 1) the reaction of at least one carboxylic diacid, or ester or chloride of such a diacid, with at least: a) one modifier compound, which must bear functional groups capable of reacting with the carboxylic acid, ester or acid chloride functional groups, as well as groups capable of associating with one another by hydrogen bonds. Here, the molar ratio of the reactive functional groups to the carboxylic acid, ester or acid chloride functional groups should ideally be between 0.10 and 0.50. Also, b) at least one polyamine; said reactions being carried out successively or simultaneously. Lastly, 2) the polyamide obtained at the end of step 1 is reacted with urea.

It has been discovered that new classes of compositions, useful for transdermal delivery applications, can be prepared from just a few different compounds if thermodynamic conditions are within certain parameters. According to this patent, there exists a need for efficient transdermal compositions that can be adjusted by minor additions or subtractions to provide a “universal" transdermal composition without undue expenses due to using a plurality of different components.The compositions disclosed include at least one of the following components: a C1-C6 dialkyl, C12-C30 dialkyl quaternary ammonium salt, a C12-C30 fatty acid, a nitrogenous organic base, C12-30 fatty alcohol, monoglyceride or the reaction products thereof. These compositions are also useful, in combination with active agents, in the treatment of skin diseases, injuries, chronic conditions and the like.

According to this patent, the majority of post-consumer waste plastic originates from packaging and containers. Shampoo bottles, among others, are frequently fashioned from high density polyethylene (HDPE); other containers are frequently produced from polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The invention described herein addresses the need for technology to convert unseparated, or at least not completely separated, mixtures of different types of post-consumer plastic articles into commercially useful structures.The mixtures of such articles contain polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS) and, optionally, also articles made of high density polyethylene (HDPE). This mixture is crushed and shredded to form plastic flakes, and these plastic flakes are then homogenized. Homogenization of the flakes can be carried out either by melt-blending them or by further comminution to produce very fine particles of the mixed plastics. The resulting homogenized mixture of plastic types is then compression molded into sheets.

The present invention relates to fluorescence-based devices for detecting microbial growth from test samples. Biological testing of food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and related types of products involves the estimation of total numbers of bacteria, yeasts and molds, as well as concentrations of specific groups of organisms within the material. In relation, a widely used method known as the “Standard Plate Count” is used, which involves culturing a diluted sample of the product in an agar growth medium.

The plates containing the sample and growth medium are incubated (e.g., 32°C,-40° C) for 24 hr to 5 days, depending upon the assay. After incubation, colonies of microorganisms that have grown in the agar are counted. While optical methods have been successfully used to classify microorganisms in clinical samples, the solid substances of the test samples disposed in an aqueous media usually cause optical interference for a detection system. The present invention therefore employs fluorescing indicator substances to enhance the measurement sensitivity of the group of detected microorganisms.

Disclosed here are therapeutic formulations adapted for positive-pressure application to control biological fluids at a desired site. The disclosed formulations comprise from 25% to 99% w/w liquid-crystal forming compound, and 0% to 75% w/w solvent. In addition, applications described include controlling blood loss, promoting wound healing, providing barriers to seal tissues and prevent adhesions, promoting tissue growth, mimicking soft tissues, and inhibiting microbial infections. Furthermore, it has been discovered that certain fatty acids, when added to these formulations, increase the viscosity or firmness of the highly viscous liquid crystal phase, once formed. The described formulations provide excellent toxicity, sensitization and irritation profiles and may be designed to be biodegradable.